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The next two hours went by in a flash. They shared the delicious meal Bea had provided, and Esme made a mental note to text her sister thank you on the way home. Bea had thought of everything from disposable plates to a bottle of red wine that paired perfectly with the savory meal. There was also garlic bread and a chopped salad dressed with a tangy vinaigrette.
“I know your sister is going to be hiring someone to run the kitchen at the Cowgirl Café,” Ryder said as he pushed back from the table after they’d shared a heavenly piece of tiramisu. “But it’s obvious that the restaurant business is a calling for her. This is far and away the best meal I’ve had in a long time, although your beautiful company might have something to do with it.”
Esme smiled softly at the compliment. “Bea’s very talented, and I appreciate you putting so much thought into this evening.”
“Shall we do a little shopping? One other perk for tonight I forgot to mention is that we have an open tab, and Remi offered a fifty-percent discount on any selections we make. It’s not flowers, but perhaps we can assemble a bouquet of books.”
He looked so hopeful that Esme felt her heart melt even more. In between heated kisses, they took turns reading to each other from random works they drew from the shelves in various sections around the bookstore. They found books they were particularly interested in and settled onto the comfy couch on the far wall.
Ryder drew Esme’s legs into his lap, and she lay back against the cushions while he took off her boots and proceeded to give her the most amazing foot rub. Truly, the people who had chosen fancy dinners in crowded restaurants were missing out because this intimate evening was extraordinary. She’d remember it always.
Ryder checked his phone several times, but with no incoming texts from Brandon, they lingered in the bookstore, enjoying the sweet intimacy of their night. Finally, Esme looked at her watch.
“We should probably go,” she said reluctantly. “I’m sure one of the boys is going to wake soon enough. I want your brother to have an easy time tonight, so he’ll want to babysit again.”
She started to put on her boots as Ryder blew out the candles. “Are you saying you’d have a second date with me?”
His teasing tone made her feel giddy. “I think I could be convinced.”
After finishing the cleanup, they walked out together, and Esme looked up at the night sky as Ryder relocked the door. The stars were putting on quite a show, but they couldn’t compete with how her heart shimmered.
Ryder slipped his hand into hers, but they’d only taken two steps toward the car when his phone began dinging incessantly with incoming texts. A moment later, hers did the same.
“Oh, no,” she whispered as she read the barrage of messages.
Ryder cursed. “We must not have had service inside the bookstore after all. I’ll call my brother.”
They hurried to the car as she tried to process the texts she’d received from both Brandon and Freya. Esme’s great-aunt had stopped by the house to drop off a small Valentine’s gift for each boy. At the same time, both babies had woken up crying, so Freya offered to stay and help Brandon.
But they’d discovered Chase was running a fever of nearly 103. After a call to the after-hours pediatric line, Brandon headed to County Hospital with the sick boy while Freya watched Noah at home.
“He’s going to be fine.” Ryder made the pronouncement with confidence, but Esme could hear the panic in his voice. He dialed his brother’s number, but Brandon didn’t pick up. After a terse message, Ryder disconnected.
“I’ll call Freya,” Esme said, already dialing the number. Her great-aunt sounded frazzled but insisted that Esme and Ryder go immediately to the hospital. Bea was already on her way to the house to relieve Freya, which comforted Esme, but she could hear Noah whimpering in the background.
“Are you sure he doesn’t have a fever? Should he have gone with Chase?” As scared as she’d been the first time they put Chase in her arms, she’d never known terror akin to what she felt now.
“He’s fine, and a hospital is no place for a healthy baby,” Freya answered. “We’ll manage until you bring that boy home.”
Esme ended the call but continued to hold the phone with trembling fingers.
“He’s going to be fine,” Ryder repeated. She nodded and murmured her agreement, wishing the doubts weren’t piling up in her mind like mounds of dirty laundry. The amount of fear she felt was nearly matched by guilt.
“If I’d been there, maybe I would have realized he was too warm. They are too young for us to leave them. What was I thinking?”
Ryder made a noise low in his throat. “Are you saying I was too intent on a child-free night that I put my son at risk? Is that what you believe?”
The intensity of his voice shocked her.
“I didn’t say that, and I don’t think it. He’s not just your son—he’s our son. We both chose to leave him with your brother during our date.” She squeezed the phone so hard it was surprising the device didn’t crack in her hand. “We made a terrible mistake.”
Chapter Thirteen
Two hours later, Ryder’s stomach still churned as he watched one of his precious baby boys asleep in the hospital bassinet. It had been a chaotic arrival, mainly because the hospital staff had assumed Brandon was the father, so it took time for them to fix the paperwork and allow Esme and Ryder back to his room.
Was this hospital always so incompetent in identifying people?
Brandon had immediately transferred Chase into Esme’s arms, and the three of them awaited the results of the blood tests. Finally, the doctor returned and explained that Chase was suffering from a bacterial infection he felt confident could be treated with rest and IV antibiotics.
